All of an Instant

by Richard Garfinkle

Book Overview

The Instant is a medium of existence outside time, from which one can influence the past and the future - and hence, history itself. War dominates this strange abstract place - war among forces in contention for control of universal time and place.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312872607
• ISBN13: 9780312872601
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

this one caught me by surprise

One of the few books I picked up this year that I made time to finish as quickly as possible. The author manged to take a common theme of controlling and battling for the time stream and really did something different and unexpected with the idea. It did start slow, but if you can slog through the initally complicated setup, the book is well worth it.

Science Fiction just doesn't get any better than this

I read this book because it was recommended by a friend who wanted to discuss it. I had no expectations of it being even mildly interesting. Imagine my surprise when I discovered a story that transcended "good yarn," making the leap into "mythic." A unique story, wonderfully told. The basic storyline, that people have learned to live in the "instant," constantly battling for control of the outcome of history, is a fun concept -- but what I found much more interesting was the way the author would try to convey that even movement in the instant, time passed, etc, was simpy an illusion that we creatures originating in time kept trying to impress upon the "instant." And the way people are described -- defined by timelengths as attributes -- well, I won't say anymore, other than that this is a highly imaginative book -- worth a read for anyone that loves science fiction or fantasy.

Time Travel Allegory

When I first read this novel, it was somewhat confusing,however, after reading it a second time, it made better sense. The reason for the initel confusion is that since "All Of An Instant" is set in a fourth-dimensional realm, it is written in allegorical terms. Therefore, what was first confusing turns out to be interesting once the allegory is understood.That said, the allegoricle descriptions of the Instant are vivid and unique. For example, I've read other books about time travelers existing outside of time, but they didn't handle the theme as well as "All of an Instant." In conclusion, be prepaired to enter a realm like no other.

Ultra Top-Notch

I read about 16 SF & F books in the last year. All of an Instant was the best of the bunch. It is one of the most stimulating and remarkable stories I have ever read, and the most unusual time travel/alternate history story I have ever read in my life, bar none. Better than H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine?" I suppose it depends on your perspective, and it is a close decision despite the extreme difference between the two approaches of dealing with how movement in time might work and the literary style, but I would say, "Yes, better and more memorable than the classic." I spoke to the author at Chicon 2000 and told him I'd have recommended it as my first choice for the Hugo if I'd had my act together soon enough to submit a nomination. He said the book had received mixed reviews. People either loved it or hated it. It seems that some reviewers had a hard time wrapping their minds around the concept of how time travel takes place in the book and the unique application of normal English words used to describe it. It certainly took me many pages before the descriptions of many events related to the unique approach began to make sense. By half-way through the book I was able to put the concept-related images into a coherent logical framework, and that was where my appreciation for the book really zoomed into the stratosphere. I guess if you never get to that point, you wouldn't like it so much. But if you do get there, the whole of the book is so phenomenal you'll be very glad you took the trouble to put the pieces together. It's not a "light read" because of this aspect. No guarantees you'll get out of the book all that is there to be had, but I wholeheartedly recommend you give it a try, because if you are up to it you'll probably never forget it. It's worth the effort a hundred times over!

Superb mind-bending fiction

I have heard people use the term Hyper-modern fiction before, but this is the first time I can truly say I experienced it. Garfinkle has ideas and a writing style that is a marvelous experience in literature, and in scientific exploration. If you enjoy the dense works of Eric S. Nylund, this could be right up your alley. Highly recommended.